Like many 16-year-olds, Peter Webb, of Kalamazoo, enjoys hanging out with his friends, playing guitar in a band and talking to friends online. He has gone through the usual rights-of-passage -- prom night, SATs -- and is really looking forward to going to college. He has already accrued more than a dozen credits at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

For a kid who left conventional public and private elementary schools behind at the age of 9, these may sound like unbelievable accomplishments. They are not unusual for a home-schooled student.

Peter is one of hundreds of students in Kalamazoo County's thriving home school community -- a diverse network of families who have made the commitment to teach their children at home.

But don't take the term "home schooling" too literally Peter cautions, "It isn't just about sitting at home doing your own little thing out on a limb."

"Kalamazoo is home-school friendly because we have so many options," says Peter's mom, Tami Webb, executive director of the Kalamazoo Area Home School Association.

"The Home School Performing Arts of Kalamazoo does drama classes and plays. The Kalamazoo Area Tutors have almost any academic class you could want for your child. The Kalamazoo Nature Center, the Air Zoo and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts also have classes. Area support groups have field trips galore. There are several different sports available through the home-school sports leagues. So you can just pick and choose what you want."

This form of education is possible under The Michigan Revised School Code, Section 380.1561, exemption (f). The exception allows children to forego the required public school attendance if "the child is being educated at the child's home by his or her parent or legal guardian in an organized educational program in the subject areas of reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar."

According to the Michigan Department of Education, 797 home schools met the voluntary reporting requirements for the 2006-07 school year. Michigan's general regulations are comparatively loose. Parents do not have to be trained teachers. There is no required testing for students. And parents are encouraged, but not required, to record their children's academic progress.

Home schooling is permitted in all 50 states, but laws and regulations vary. A 2003 analysis by the National Center for Educational Statistics found that approximately 1.1 million U.S. students were being home-schooled, but the Home School Legal Defense Association estimates that the actual number is closer to 2 million.

The movement evolved in the late 20th century from the advocacy of educators Raymond S. Moore, Ph.D., his wife, Dorothy Moore, and John C. Holt. It has had considerable success, with several studies showing home-school students scoring at or above average on standardized achievement tests. And colleges and universities across the nation are adapting their admission requirements for home-schoolers.
Still, the relatively unregulated nature of home schooling continues to make it a controversial issue for educators. Their concerns center on the risk that, under the guise of home schooling, abusive or neglectful parents could keep their children out of school. They also question the effectiveness of free-form learning in preparing students to function in the adult world.

The National Education Association, one of several educational organizations that oppose the practice, contends that, "home schooling cannot provide the student with a comprehensive experience."

Yet, fueled by the power of the Internet, the multi-million-dollar home-schooling market is booming.

The Internet also links families with local support groups. The social and academic advantages offered by these groups, from teaching cooperatives to potluck picnics, form the fabric of home school communities. Kalamazoo has a wide variety of organizations, from the Christian-oriented KAHSA to the diverse, secular Kalamazoo Home School Connection.

No one group fits all because there is really no such thing as a "typical" home-school family.

Scott Weber of Kalamazoo believes that, "human beings are natural learners." Though he has created his own curriculum, he generally allows his children's innate curiosity to dictate the daily lesson plan, which may lead them from the library out to a local marsh.
Kalamazoo's Amy Burns says home schooling her triplets is, "an amazing experience, because you learn with your children." She set up an in-home classroom for her kids and purchased a curriculum, but also includes choir, gym class at the YMCA and other "extras."

No matter what their methods, most Kalamazoo home-schoolers scoff at the stereotypical perception of their children as isolated intellectuals.

"In a way, we really should be called community-schoolers," asserts Burns. "So many of us are out in the community, volunteering, touring different places and getting together with other families for play times.

Shawna Hubbarth, of Gobles, concurs saying, "We are all about getting our children out into the world, interacting with people of different ages, offering them different experiences, learning, seeing, doing, being. My children are by no means sheltered."

The friendships, fun, games and the other fringe benefits of school days are also prevalent. "I may be more socialized than many public-schoolers out there because I am involved in so many things," says Peter Webb. "I know hundreds of home-schoolers and I would say most home-schoolers in Kalamazoo are quite social. We have home-school sports teams and there is even a home-school chess club."

Reflecting on how Peter's home-school experience will serve him in the next phase of his education, Tami says, "I would hope that I have taught my children how to find answers on their own -- how to be self-educated. I think that is one of the greatest things about home schooling, you get to see the greatest potential of your children come to fruition."